No one was seriously injured, but one of the cars struck and knocked down an electrical pole, while the other overturned after running into the downed wires.

A Florida Power & Light Co. crew restored electricity almost immediately for 600 residents after the 2:12 p.m. accident.

But other customers -- in an area bordered by Dover Road on the north, Canal Drive to the south, Bay Drive on the east and Riverside Drive to the west -- had to wait seven hours before electricity went back on, said FPL spokesman Richard Clawges.

The accident occurred when a car driven by Edward Fronk of Fort Lauderdale hit a roadside barrier while he headed north on State Road A1A on an S-shaped bend known as Dead Man`s Curve just south of Barton Road, said police officer John Eischen.

Fronk`s 1970 Chevrolet Impala ricocheted off the barrier and crossed the road, running over a street sign and a cement bus stop bench before slamming into the electrical pole, Eischen said.

The wooden pole broke on impact, and the wires, still attached to other poles, came tumbling down across the road in the path of a 1969 Mercedes 280SL heading south and driven by Eleanor Trevvett, 72, of Boca Raton.

``She rode up the cable, and the car started to roll over,`` police officer Bart Piacente said at the scene. ``She probably would have rolled over if the wires hadn`t gotten tangled up under her car.``

Trevvett`s car came to rest on its passenger side. Both cars were covered with power and television cable wires when rescue workers arrived, Piacente said.

Trevvett, of the 1000 block of South Ocean Boulevard, was treated and released at North Broward Medical Center, a spokesman said.

Fronk, of the 3800 block of Galt Ocean Drive, was treated and released at Humana Hospital Cypress.